Information transmission by telecopier or by telefax or fax machine has developed to a great extent and has acquired considerable importance. However, such transmission, as far as the art is concerned, is confined to bilateral communication between a sending fax machine and a receiving fax machine and does not permit concurrent transmission to a large or to an unlimited number of addresses. On the other hand, transmission broadcasts by radio can be received by anyone having a radio receiver, but whoever is interested in a given item of information must be listening to his radio receiver at the moment that the information is being transmitted. The same thing is true if the information is transmitted by television: it can only be received by a person who is watching his own television receiver at the moment that the information is being transmitted. It should be understood that whenever the reference is being made to a radio, transmission by television is also included, and in that case the audio circuits of the television receiver will play the part which the radio receiver plays in the following description of the invention. Furthermore, there is a way in which a radio or television broadcasting station may selectively transmit different items of information to different addresses, and remunerated for this service.
It is a purpose of the invention to provide a method and apparatus which will permit a radio or television broadcasting station to broadcast selected items of information, according to predetermined subjects, to subscribers who have contracted to receive information relating to a given subject, and to record the transmitted information in printed form, without the need or the presence of any listener or viewer or operator.
It is another purpose of the invention to achieve the aforementioned purpose by using standard transmitting, receiving and fax apparatus, or modem, with the addition of suitable components, as will be hereinafter explained.
Basically, fax and modem communications are similar. Fax apparatus is more popular because it is more convenient to operate and it sends graphic information. However, this invention can be carried out basically by the same means by means of fax or modem apparatus. Therefore it should be understood that, whenever the word "fax" is used hereinafter in this specification and claims, it means "fax or modem".
It is a further purpose of the invention to provide a method and apparatus whereby a broadcaster may enter into contractual agreements for the transmission to specific subscribers of information relating to pre-selected subjects and be remunerated for this service, or, alternatively, be remunerated through the supply of apparatus for the reception of the broadcasted information.
Other purposes and advantages of the invention will be understood as the description proceeds.